NEW YORK (July 27, 2021) – Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) today announced that Baaba Halm has joined the organization as its new vice president and New York market leader. A New York nonprofit and public sector executive, Halm brings more than two decades of experience in housing, community development and policy, and a strong commitment to racial equity to Enterprise. 

“We are proud to welcome Baaba Halm to Enterprise,” said Judi Kende, senior vice president and chief program officer of Solutions at Enterprise. “New York State faces myriad housing challenges at this unique moment, as we work to keep our neighbors stably housed amid the Covid-19 pandemic and to advance racial equity in housing statewide. Baaba's broad and diverse experience spanning housing, policy, community development, and equity and inclusion make her uniquely qualified for this position. We know that under her leadership, Enterprise’s New York office will achieve even greater impact.” 

Halm will oversee Enterprise’s programs in New York, where the organization invests capital to create and preserve quality affordable homes, reinvests revenues to develop programmatic solutions and brings these solutions to scale through policy advocacy. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, Enterprise has worked with partners to keep New Yorkers in their homes through numerous initiatives, including FASTEN (Funds and Services for Tenants Experiencing Need), which provides services and disburses aid across New York City to reach populations in urgent need of eviction prevention services, including rental assistance. Enterprise manages the FASTEN program in collaboration with tenants and community-based organizations to ensure that it meets the needs of New Yorkers unserved or underserved by existing resources. 

“I’m honored to be joining Enterprise Community Partners to lead its crucial efforts in New York,” said Baaba Halm. “Enterprise is uniquely well-positioned to address the affordable housing crisis from every angle, and this work has never been more urgent. The state currently faces many housing challenges as we recover from the economic impacts of Covid-19, but none are insurmountable. With these come the opportunity to build a better and more equitable foundation for all New Yorkers. Enterprise will proudly continue to play a leading role in this mission.” 

Prior to joining Enterprise, Halm most recently served as the executive deputy commissioner and chief diversity officer at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). There, she was second in command to the Commissioner, overseeing six divisions, including the Office of Asset and Property Management and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/EEO. During her tenure at HPD, she crafted the Equitable Ownership Requirement benefiting minority-owned developers and the agency’s first in-kind program to foster the participation of minority vendors across the entire affordable housing portfolio; led HPD’s assessment of equity and inclusion practices to strengthen the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce; and partnered with Enterprise to create the Pathways to Opportunity Program for minority and women-owned business enterprises and nonprofits to become marketing agents for affordable housing projects.

Over Halm’s career, she has been deeply involved with housing policy and worked extensively with New York City and State legislators. As assistant commissioner managing the Government Relations and Regulatory Compliance Department at HPD, she led legislative strategy and negotiation, working with federal, state and local elected officials on policies from mandatory inclusionary housing to tenant protections. During her eight years with the New York City Council, she served in various legal and leadership roles, with her responsibilities ranging from steering communications strategy to negotiating and drafting legislation. 

Earlier in her career, Halm worked in the nonprofit sector as a staff attorney at Covenant House New Jersey and Housing Works, where she focused on issues such as homelessness and housing discrimination. Baaba earned a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

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